Review: As we all know, evil corporations are butchering Asian movies, forcing heavily edited and poorly dubbed versions of classics down our throats like Hentai demon rapists, and diluting the original visions of Asian directors. KFCCinema is certainly against these disrespectable practices, but in reviewing Shogun Assassin, it’s important to put the movie in context.

In 1980, Americans David Weisman (producer) and Robert Houston (director) stumbled upon the Japanese Lone Wolf and Cub films (in turn based on a hugely successful manga comic book), and realised that while Western Audiences at the time would lap up the violent battles, they might not be ready for the Chanbara genre’s comparatively slow pacing and period politics. They decided to take the best bits of Lone Wolf and Cub parts 1 and 2, and add their own dubbing and simplified plot. Shogun Assassin was born, and is probably responsible to this day for the Chanbara movie’s arrival in the West. Shogun Assassin certainly isn’t one for the purists, and could never take the place of the original Lone Wolf and Cub series, but if you like your action, then this is definitely worth a look, and stands out as quality viewing not only as a movie in its own right, but also as a film which played an important role in carrying Asian cinema from its home territories to the global audience it reaches today.

So, just for now, for a few minutes, let’s forget that we know about the Lone Wolf and Cub films, and pretend that Shogun Assassin is a ‘proper’ film. There are many ridiculous racial stereotypes with no basis in fact. If Shogun Assassin is to be believed, the Japanese have more blood than the rest of us. The arterial spurts in this movie are spectacular. Blood sprays in the air and onto the camera lens, drips from walls, and taints the sands of the Japanese deserts. It’s a glorious piece of artistic license, and those that like a bit of claret won’t be disappointed. People are sliced into pieces, stabbed, hacked, sliced, diced, cooked at gas mark 5 and left to simmer.

A special mention has to go to the sound. The dubbing is higher quality than most dubbed films of the period, and the specially written script throws a number of quotable catchphrases into the mix (“They shall pay. Rivers of blood!”). The music and sound effects are eerily kitsch. During battles, the clashing of swords is punctuated with periods of silence, before persistent and abstract 80’s synth sounds provide tension. The main theme music which plays in battle is also notable, and is best described as an up-tempo electronica, slightly reminiscent of John Carpenter’s ‘Assault on Precinct 13’ theme.
Characterisation is very good. Lone Wolf is stoic and dignified, despite the raging fury in his eyes. Daigoro (the ‘Cub’ of the title, only about four years old) is also a revelation. Sporting a Busta Rhymes haircut, he is adorable and innocent, yet capable of murder, and keeps count of how many his father has killed. The combination of these two characters is instantly memorable, and there is no wonder that they proved so popular.